As if I didn't have enough to contend with...

[Turbogus]

Now that I'm on welfare, despite working 7 days a week (commission based for a bus company) 'Easy Bake' my daily driver was bashed and totalled. Of course the insurance company fell off the radar for the last two days, despite faxes of receipts, phone messages and unanswered emails, I think they're trying to make me sweat so to take their first offer.
'Black Betty' now seems to have burned a valve in No. 2.
With the help of a local shop I'm using one of thier bays to tear the cylinder head off. This is my first go on an AMC so I'm following the TSM meticulously. By now I've stripped the externals off; header, valve cover, rockers and pushrods keeping them in order with the help os a styrofoam box I poke the pushrods through and place the rockers on each one. I also got most of the head bolts with an impact wrench save for two stubborn ones that I'm goijng to try a breaker bar on. In a rushed bonehead moment~my best friend needed my help but the shop chief was staying late so I could work on my CJ, I forgot to remove the power steering pump bracket, sometime I can just FEEL those donkey ears spring up. At least my doing this work save me some cash on labor cost, I'm not looking forward to dealing with that oil baffle tray in the lifter valley again though.
Any tips or tricks would be welcome
More to come....

 

[superj]

dang man, that sucks. i have no tips though

 

[Turbogus]

Got the head off and pulled the No. 2 intake, there was carbon built up on the stem and the surface of the valve is preventing a complete seal. Next stop, the machine shop.

 

[TerryMason]

Sorry for the tough break, but it sounds like you're learning quite a bit.

 

[Turbogus]

You got that right Terry, to recap Got the head pulled off, one of the mechanics in the next bay advised that I should've reverse removed the head bolts torque wise, but as it was there were three stubborn bolts that I had to use a different impact wrench on to finally break them loose. Once the head was off we found that the No. 2 intake was partially open on account of a large amount of carbon buildup on the valve stem. This is the reson for the occasional 'motor spit' I've remarked on and for the carb fire. Fuel was pushed through the open intake valve on the compression stroke and ignited by the spark plug with fuel vapor in the intake and carburator flow reversed. While we were able to polish the carbon off the valve surface had deformed enough to prevent a complete seal. Sent it off to a head shop (no, even though I'm in Oregon, not that kind) to do the single valve. As much as I'd like to do a complete job sadly, my welfare and work income is just not enough. More to come...

 

[superj]

the head seat was deformed enough or the valve? if the valve, could you have just swapped a valve in place, instead?

 

[Turbogus]

it was the valve itself as it seems SuperJ

 

[TLCJ5]

Bummer on your run of bad luck!! When it rains it pours. Just a note on using Styrofoam for your pushrod holder. When reassembling be sure to "blow out" the oil passage in the pushrods to make sure there's no Styrofoam in there. Don't ask how I learned that.
Good luck & let us know how it goes!

 

[Gennybro]

Could you have gotten anouther valve and seated it yourself useing a drill and lapping compound?